Paolo Goltara: Passion and Feelings

Italian-born ADC Member brings his passion for photography to the Big Apple

ADC’s Photography Month, is off to a great start! All throughout the month of March, we will be showcasing various ADC Members who have a passion for the art form, whether they are professional photographers with a tremendous body of work, newcomers to the business with a dream and a roll of film, or another type of creative who just loves to snap pictures in their spare time.

The second ADC Member to be featured during Photography Month is an Italian born artist who has come to New York to capture it all — in film and in spirit.

How old were you when you became interested in photography? How did that interest come about, and how was it fostered?

My interest began with fashion photography. When I was 14 years old, I remember whenever I had a little money, I used it to buy fashion magazines like Italian Vogue, Elle and Marie Claire. I loved to select the best magazine pictures and hang them on the walls and furniture in my bedroom. My two brothers were very happy about my hobby because all of these photos were showing beautiful models!

This all fostered my dream to become a good photographer. Every great dream begins with a dreamer, and that was me back then!

Do you remember the earliest photograph you ever took?

Yes of course! I was born in Terracina, a small Italian town on the seaside very close to Rome. My town is surrounded by beautiful landscapes, so my earliest photograph that I took was a landscape shot of my town in black & white.

What type of photography would you say is your specialty, and how did it come to be your specialty?

I started my career as fashion photographer, but in the last few years New York has become my adopted city, and I became very passionate about the city. I launched a fine art photography project named NYC Limited Edition, where I attempt to capture fleeting moments and document the beauty and energy that revolves around a city where there never seems to be enough. So fine art photography became the best way for me to interact with the world that surrounds me.

Can one’s specialty be transient — starting in one area of photography but evolving into another?

Yes, sure, one can move into different areas of photography. I think it is important to specialize, to focus on a particular field, but nevertheless, it’s more important to believe in what you are doing, and then all is possible!

Define your photographic style in a single sentence.

I would like that other people define my style; my style comes from inside so I don’t want to limit it to mere words!

I don’t have a favorite camera to shoot with. In the beginning, when I started to take photos, I was using an old Yashica all manual, but since then I have learned that buying a Nikon doesn’t make you a photographer. It makes you a Nikon owner. What makes you a photographer is how you combine light, the right moment to shoot, form, space… the camera is just a tool, what is important is the idea.

“…I have learned that buying a Nikon doesn’t make you a photographer. It makes you a Nikon owner.”

What is the hardest part about making a living as a photographer? Any advice on how to overcome that challenge?

Being a photographer has never been easy, but technology has made it easy to take a decent picture, so there are more images and photographers in an over-saturated marketplace. My advice is that you must be the very best at what you do. If you are driven and persistent, there is a place for you. Be passionate about every project you become involved in.

Is there a particular project of yours of which you’re especially proud?

Yes, it was my first photo section for a prestigious magazine the first issue of the Polish edition of Marie Claire. In that moment, I understood that my dreams had become reality.

What would be your dream client/project/collaboration?

I have recently evolved into a curator/creative director, working with some of the most exciting emerging photographers in New York, each of whom sees time as I do, the essence of New York City life. My dream is that my project will show photography that comes from feelings rather than from technology. Technology is everywhere. What we need now is emotion and ideas.

Nowadays everyone has ‘cameras’ in their pockets and Instagram on their phones. How has this changed the photography game? How has this changed yourphotography game?

Mobile phone cameras these days have the ability to make images that are as sharp and detailed as professional digital cameras. It’s been a real game changer to have such a powerful tool in your pocket at all times. There are a lot of moments on the road when the closest camera is the one in your pocket, and you’ll manage to get a shot with your mobile device that you would not have gotten with your pro bodies and lenses because they weren’t around your neck at that moment.

I think my favorite aspect of Instagram is that it allows me to share with people my latest work soon after it is created. Instagram is a great way to show people what you’re up to on a day to day basis, instead of only through curated selections on a formal site.

“So, you’re a photographer?” What’s the strangest question you’ve received when someone learned what you do?

“Are you dating all pretty girls?”

What are your other creative outlets and sources of inspiration?

I love everything about images. In addition to being a fine art photographer, I’m also an art director. Sometimes research or creative output on a project in one of these positions can provide source material for work in others. Over time, I’ve discovered that creative work can transform itself in strangest ways from one genre to another. Many ideas have haunted me enough to appear in multiple forms. Some of my sources of inspiration are Behance, Designspiration, Awwwards, Smashing Magazine, Pinterest and Abduzeedo.

Fill in the blank: “When I’m not shooting, I am…”

… a dad! ☺

Which professional photographers do you look up to, whether from afar or as mentors?

I love Peter Lindbergh, I grew up with his amazing photos. There is an undeniable personal nature to Lindbergh’s photography — his focus on the eyes of his subjects, on their energy, the way which women blossom under his lens that reaches for a kind of beauty that exists beyond the surface. In his photos, you can see the feelings behind the models’ beauty, and this what makes a photograph iconic.

When all is said and done, what is it about being a photographer that gets you up in the morning and drives your passion?

It is the wish and the passion to tell the world that surrounds me through my feelings and my point of view.

Photography Month takes place throughout March, and is open exclusively to ADC Members. Not yet a Member? Join today!